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Client Comments
"They were entertaining, inspirational, and just plain fabulous. Their presentation ranged from comical to serious; I highly recommend this inspiring and passionate team as speakers, and we definitely plan to book them again."
Karen Griggs, Executive Director, National Aircraft Finance Association
"These two authors are something else, tireless and dedicated to veterans. I read their book before I heard them speak. It doesn't matter which order you do it in, but do both."
J. Jovanovich
"They were forthright, funny and emotional without becoming maudlin. In the days following the presentation, many members commented on how much they enjoyed the talk!"
Kentucky Museum of Aviation
"...a quite serious subject in a very informative, respectable format but also filled with humor to keep the evening entertaining."
New Carlisle, OH Public Library
"A complete delight. Mike Jackson and Tara Dixon-Engel made us laugh, made us cry and made us proud. One of our best programs ever!"
Daughters of the American Revolution
"...an inspirational talk that, like the book, included humor, patriotism and insight as well as parts where you just want to stand up and cheer."
Phil, Mississippi Airports Association.
Speaker Biographies
These two colorful speakers have been compared to Tracy & Hepburn and Burns and Allen. They have been introduced on National Radio as “America’s fun couple of aviation” – with speeches that emphasize humor, aviation history and inspiration/motivation. When they are being serious, they are passionate about the American military and its veterans.
They published “Naked In Da Nang” in late 2004 and are currently working on two additional books, one about the Wright Brothers for Sterling Press (due out in 2006), and a sequel to Naked In Da Nang, tentatively titled “Naked In Uniform” (2007).
Tara Dixon-Engel
Tara Dixon-Engel, President/COO of the American Veterans Institute (AVI) and National Co-Chairman for Operation Welcome Home, spent over a decade as an award-winning newspaper journalist before turning to corporate marketing & communications, where she developed over $180 million in successful business proposals for both for-profit and non-profit entities. She taught electronic publishing at the college level, ran her own successful consulting business and joined the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) in 1999, following four years of intensive study on the history of the American space program. She also learned to fly and enjoyed spending hours in a 1946 Piper Cub or Aeronca Champ of the same vintage.
As Director of the Harry B. Combs Research Center at the NAHF, Dixon-Engel researched, wrote and designed the exhibit hall narrative for the NAHF learning center in Dayton, Ohio. She served as editor of the NAHF’s newsletter, taking it from an 8-page, two-color publication to its current 50+ page, full-color magazine status. The writer’s work on Heroes & Legends magazine was recognized by the Ohio Museums Association where the publication took top prize, the Gold Award, in 2003. The former journalist researched and wrote the videos for the NAHF’s annual enshrinement ceremony, as well as preparing numerous successful proposals, fundraising packages and educational curriculum. Engel also prepared proposals helped raise over $3 million to perpetuate the NAHF’s preservation efforts.
She is a regular on the PBS and Discovery-Wings TV series Legends of Airpower and has appeared on radio and television in addition to lecturing at the National Museum of the United States Air Force on the Air Force role in the early space program. Since 2000, she has served annually on the Blue Ribbon Panel that selects astronauts for induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Cape Canaveral Florida. She consulted on three books before co-authoring the 2004 book Naked In Da Nang, which was the inspiration for Operation Welcome Home. Since early 2005 she has been developing plans for the American Veterans’ Institute, a dynamic 501(c)(3) that honors America’s soldiers, sailors and airmen.
In 2005, Dixon-Engel won a “Telly Award” for her writing and coordination of the video “D-Day: A Crowning Glory.” The Telly Awards honor outstanding cable television programming, as well as the finest video and film production. Dixon-Engel's D-Day presentation was part of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the invasion of Normandy and premiered at the Thunderbirds Hangar Party just prior to the Aviation Nation Air Show 2004 at Nellis Air Force Base.
Dixon-Engel calls her career shift toward aviation and the military an amazing twist of fate. “I wanted to do something I really believed in; something that was exciting and had some lasting impact. Writing Naked In Da Nang has been the professional highlight of my life. And the fact that it inspired Operation Welcome Home is profoundly gratifying. Now I want to harness that momentum to do something that will last...something that honors my heroes -- the men and women who put their lives on the line in the defense of my freedom!”
Mike Jackson
Mike “Scoop” Jackson, Chairman/CEO of the American Veterans Institute (AVI) and National Chairman for Operation Welcome Home, graduated from Ohio University in Athens, OH with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He later earned his Master’s degree in business administration from Webster University. A decorated combat pilot, he served in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1991, flying 210 combat missions in Vietnam. During his military career, he was awarded 21 different American and foreign decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart. .
Following his tour in Southeast Asia, Mike served as an Air Force instructor pilot, a squadron and group commander at the USAF Officer Training School, and the Professor of Aerospace Studies at Wright State University. In 1992 he accepted a position as Executive Director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, where he successfully guided the organization from a debt-ridden, one-person operation to a thriving, $6 million facility featuring education programs, a world-class research center and a dynamic array of exhibits and interactives. He retired in 2005, and was named Executive Director Emeritus.
He was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 1997, in part because of programs he developed to assist unemployed veterans. In 1998 he was named the first “Miami Valley Hometown Military Hero” by the American Red Cross.
A regular on the PBS and Discovery-Wings TV-series Legends of Airpower, Mike is also a popular public speaker and radio/television resource, discussing such topics as Operation Welcome Home, the air war in Southeast Asia, the military, and America’s air and space heritage. He was named “Distinguished Museum Professional” of the year by the Ohio Museums Association in 2003 and “Outstanding Citizen of the Year for 2004” by his hometown of Tipp City, Ohio. This year he was chosen by Webster University as their “Distinguished Alumnus” for 2005, based on “contributions to society.” This honor is the highest bestowed by the Webster Alumni Association. Jackson served as emcee for the Air Force’s gala Thunderbird’s Hangar Party at Nellis Air Force Base in 2004.
He has edited three books for publishers such as Simon & Schuster and Capstone Press. His own biography, Naked In Da Nang was released in late 2004, and is the inspiration for the national Operation Welcome Home. He is currently working on the development and implementation of the America Veterans’ Institute as a means to honor veterans and spotlight how military service and training have enriched American society.
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